I'm a PC builder with so much love for humongous desktops, but even my love gets tested at times. I recently tried a really high-quality GEEKOM mini PC, which made me re-evaluate the whole concept of owning those things, and how they can pretty much replace an actual desktop on many fronts.

Following the release of the OLED iPad Mini yesterday, Apple has now announced updated MacBook Pro and iMac models. The brand’s all-in-one desktop is arriving almost two years after the M4 model that debuted back in 2024. In between, the M5 generation never made it to the iMac, so the latest jump is bigger than the version number suggests.

When people think of homelabbing, they often picture endless racks of servers and tangled cables. In reality, a $50 refurbished office PC can be all you really need to start self-hosting apps on a home server. But before spending your money on one, run through this checklist to make sure you're actually getting a good deal rather than buying e-waste.

PC building has never been more popular, and one of the most common pieces of advice for first-time builders is to leave room for future upgrades. After all, there's no need to replace your entire PC when you can swap out a few key components and keep using it for years to come.

I've been building PCs for over 20 years, so naturally, I get why people do it: it's fun, and you get a great computer at the end. But beyond the fun, is there any reason to spend the time and money anymore when a plug-and-play mini PC can absolutely replace your daily driver for almost anything but gaming?

PC shipments saw a steep drop of about 20 percent in Q3 2026, analysts reported this week.

The industry saw its “sharpest decline since “Q1 2023," Omdia said in an announcement toady. Global shipments of laptops, desktops, and workstations fell 21.2 percent year over year (YoY) to 58.1 million devices, the analyst said.

Desktop PC shipments (including desktop workstations) decreased 23.5 percent to 11.7 million units, and laptop shipments (including laptop workstations) declined 20.6 percent to 46.4 million, per Omdia.

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